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Understanding STEM: Current perceptions

Article · January 2011

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 Understanding STEM:
Current Perceptions
By Ryan Brown, Joshua Brown, Kristin Reardon,
and Chris Merrill

Many in the field of technology has encouraged this exploration of the current teacher and
administrator perceptions of STEM education.
education have embraced STEM The Push for STEM Education
education, but there is a lack of In many ways, the push for STEM education appears to
have grown from a concern for the low number of future
understanding of STEM education professionals to fill STEM jobs and careers (ITEA/ITEEA,
2009) and economic and educational competitiveness
in schools. (Brophy, Klein, Portsmor, & Rogers, 2008; Congressional
Research Service, 2006; Ehrlich, 2007; National Science
Board, 2007). The proponents of STEM education believe
that by increasing math and science requirements in
schools, along with infusing technology and engineering
concepts, students will perform better and be better
prepared for advanced education or jobs in STEM fields
(often referred to as the STEM pipeline). The lasting result

R
would be that the United States would again rise to the top
eaders of The Overlooked STEM Imperatives: of international rankings.
Technology and Engineering (ITEA/ITEEA, 2009)
are invited to “explore the power and promise of While the outcome remains to be seen, many in the field
a STEM (science, technology, engineering, and of technology education have taken the idea of STEM
mathematics) education” (p. 2). Those who believe in the education and have attempted to either integrate more
virtues of STEM education feel that it can contribute to math and science into their courses or highlight the ways
increased problem-solving skills, critical thinking, and in which those concepts were already being integrated. The
analytical thinking in students as well as lead to better believed benefits of doing so are that students experience
real-world connections in the curriculum. (Brophy, Klein, real-world problems making more connections to STEM
Portsmor, Rogers, 2008; National Science Board, 2007). fields and the ever-changing workforce, sparking interest
The promise of STEM education has caught on in the field in STEM fields. Creating these links earlier in the students’
of technology education as evidenced by incorporation of educational careers could potentially result in an increased
the STEM acronym in many of the resources produced by number of students entering into fields associated with
the International Technology and Engineering Educators STEM (Brophy, Klein, Portsmor, Rogers, 2008; Merrill
Association (ITEEA). A quick review of ITEEA’s website & Daugherty, in press; NHSA; NSB, 2007; Suddreth &
([Link]) will reveal the hold that the concept of Itamura, 2007).
STEM has on the profession, as one would find that the
most recent annual conference, the newest publication Understanding of STEM
(ITEA/ITEEA, 2009), and the association newsletter all have As STEM education becomes a greater focus for an
a STEM focus. The change in tide toward STEM education increasing number of schools and teachers, it becomes

5• Te c hnolo gy and Engineering Te ac her • March 2011

clearer that there is a need to better define what is meant by program were charged with determining how STEM is
the term STEM education. The term STEM is often defined defined and the importance that is placed on it by their
only by having the terms science, technology, engineering, school administrators and teaching peers. The students’
and mathematics follow in parentheses, (see ITEA/ITEEA, task was to interview their administrators and other math,
2009). However, STEM education has been defined as “a science, and technology teachers with a focus on the
standards-based, meta-discipline residing at the school following questions:
level where all teachers, especially science, technology, 1. What is STEM education?
engineering, and mathematics (STEM) teachers, teach 2. How does your definition of STEM Education affect the
an integrated approach to teaching and learning, where curriculum and instruction in your class?
discipline-specific content is not divided, but addressed 3. What do the “T” and “E” in STEM Education mean?
and treated as one dynamic, fluid study” (Merrill, 2009). 4. Is STEM Education broader than science, technology,
However, which sciences are included, and does the level of engineering, and mathematics?
math matter, and how is technology defined? The National 5. Is STEM Education important? If so, why? If not, why?
Science Foundation includes sciences such as psychology, 6. Is STEM Education for all students? If so, why? If not,
economics, sociology, and political science in the STEM why?
definition (Green 2007 as cited in NCES, 2009). Other 7. How much time do you talk with other teachers in the
definitions include the technologies that are included in STEM disciplines about what you are doing in your
Standards for Technological Literacy: Content for the Study class? Do you ever collaborate with other teachers by
of Technology (ITEA/ITEEA, 2000/2002/2007), while some doing theme-based lessons/units or co-teaching?
solely focus on computer and information technology/ 8. Do you access information related to STEM Education
science (NCES, 2009). to stay professionally developed? If so, where do you
obtain this information? What is the typical information
The types of science, technology, engineering, and you access?
mathematics that are included in the concept of STEM
education is not the only concern in defining STEM The 29 students interviewed/surveyed over 200 teachers
education. An additional concern is how STEM education and administrators. Of the initial interviews, 172 were
is implemented. According to Merrill (2009), “STEM determined to be usable for the purposes of data analysis.
teaching and learning focuses on authentic content and However, not all of the 172 interviews were complete, so
problems, using hands-on, technological tools, equipment, the data presented in this article will include the number of
and procedures in innovative ways to help solve human responses to the question. The breakdown of participants in
wants and needs.” For many teachers, administrators, and this study by job title/discipline can be found in Figure 1.
policy makers, questions still remain. Is it STEM education The most sizable group of teachers in this study was
when all four concepts are taught in separate classes? If mathematics teachers, followed by science and technology
a student takes a course in each of the four STEM areas, teachers. The “not stated” category includes those teachers
is he or she receiving a STEM education? If so, Sanders and administrators who were not identified by a content
(2009) would argue that STEM education is not new. Or area. The “other” category includes teachers from special
does a student only receive a STEM education when the education and social studies.
four areas are integrated in one or more courses? These
questions are paramount to the understanding of how
STEM education is to operate in schools and what it will
look like in classrooms.

Methods
These questions, among others, were posed to students in
the STEM Education and Leadership program at Illinois
State University. The STEM Education and Leadership
program is a graduate degree program designed to increase
“STEM-related teacher content knowledge, instructional
practices, student achievement, quality of professional
development, and organizational support” (Merrill &
Daugherty, in press). The 27 students enrolled in the
Figure 1: Participants by content area.

6• Te c hnolo gy and Engineering Te ac her • March 2011

The survey data were analyzed with two research questions Several were even frustrated for being asked about it. One
in mind: administrator responded “there is not enough time in the
1. Do administrators and STEM teachers have a basic day to talk about STEM education” while another stated
understanding of STEM education? that they were “highly insulted to be expected to know
2. What do administrators and STEM teachers believe this acronym.” All of the administrators surveyed were in
about STEM education? schools in which at least one teacher was enrolled in the
STEM Education and Leadership program at Illinois State
Findings University.
The findings are presented in terms of the two research
questions. The findings for research question one are based The data related to teachers in the three traditional STEM
on survey questions one and three, found in the above areas; science, technology/engineering, and mathematics
list. These questions were used to gauge the participants’ also showed differences among the three areas. Mathematics
understanding of STEM and the nature of the “T” and “E” teachers were the least able to appropriately define STEM
within STEM. The other questions in the survey were used education, as only 15 of 36 could define the term. Science
to respond to research question two. Only select findings and technology teachers correctly defined STEM education
from research question two will be addressed in this article. over 60% of the time (13 of 21 and 12 of 19, respectively).
Those who answered incorrectly either defined it narrowly
Research Question 1 as just integrating computer technology into a classroom,
defined it as a program for either students with disabilities
The data shows that among the participants who responded
or gifted students, or simply did not know.
to the question “What is STEM education?” (N=149), one
half were able to adequately define it as education involving Research Question 2
science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. A
number of participants responded that they were initially The data related to research question one demonstrated that
unsure of the meaning of STEM education when they only one-half of those interviewed had a clear definition of
were contacted for this study, but later used the Internet to STEM education. After the initial question, “What is STEM
determine its meaning. education,” those participants who were unsure of the
definition were often provided with the definition so that
When the data is disaggregated by position/discipline, the they could formulate answers for the remaining questions,
findings show differences between the groups. This data is while others opted to not continue with the survey/
displayed in Figure 2. The data shows that administrators, interview. The remaining questions focused on their beliefs
mathematics teachers, and “other” teachers were at least toward STEM education and its importance.
able to appropriately define STEM education. The group of
administrators (comprised of principals, assistant principals, When asked whether STEM education is important,
and assistant superintendents) was able to correctly define 75% of the 103 participants answered “yes.” Nineteen
STEM education less than half of the time. Ten of the 22 participants answered “unsure,” and seven responded “no”
administrators had a clear definition for STEM education. (see Figure 3). Those who responded to this question did

Figure 2: Knowledge of STEM (by position/discipline). Figure 3: The importance of STEM education.

7• Te c hnolo gy and Engineering Te ac her • March 2011

so for a number of reasons. Several participants stated peers outside their discipline. Of the 125 participants who
that STEM was an important way to bridge disciplines, responded, nearly 90% (111 participants) stated that they do
provide cognitive building blocks for students, and to teach not collaborate with peers in other STEM fields.
needed skills (often problem-solving skills). One participant
stated that STEM education “provides relevance to the Conclusions/Implications
concepts presented in traditional core classes as it applies to The first conclusion is that STEM education is not well
technology and other related disciplines.” Another teacher understood. Fewer than one half of the administrators
responded that “it is good for students to see that things do (with teachers in their building participating in a STEM-
not exist in a bubble, and they are all intertwined.” However, focused Master’s Degree) understood the concept and/
others questioned the appropriateness of STEM education. or could describe it. Even teachers in the STEM fields had
Several of the teachers and administrators who responded varying levels of understanding of STEM education. It
that they were “unsure” and “no” regarding the importance is believed that this finding may even be artificially high
of STEM education stated that it was because they believed due to self-selection of participation. The researchers who
it is not for all students. collected the data stated that they had a number of informal
conversations with teachers and administrators who opted
These ideas led to the next question that focused on the not to participate in the study, as they did not know about
universality of STEM education. The responses were quite STEM and thought that their responses would not be
varied. One teacher who believed that STEM education helpful. Had those teachers participated in the study, it is
has a role in the teaching of problem solving responded expected that the findings would have reflected a greater
that “it should be for all students because, if you cannot proportion of teachers and administrators who are unaware
solve problems, you cannot be a player in our technical of the concept or definition of STEM education.
society.” Another participant stated that all students
would benefit from STEM education because “any career This conclusion has important implications for those
a student decided to go into, they must be able to analyze, teachers who are intending to start a STEM-focused course
synthesize, evaluate, and utilize higher-order thinking,” or program. The implication is that there is a great need for
which this respondent believes is possible through STEM awareness-raising at both the administrator and teacher
education. Those who do not believe STEM education is for levels. Many in the field of technology education have
all students often stated that the academic needs for STEM embraced STEM education (as evidenced by the ITEEA
education would be too demanding for some students. One website, conference, and publications) but there is a lack of
participant stated that “some students will be unable to understanding of STEM education in schools.
process the basics, much less apply the theory to a hands-on
A second conclusion of this research is that there is not a
project.” Another teacher responded that “not all students
clear vision for STEM education even amongst those who
are academically heading in that direction.”
believe it is important. The vast majority of those who
A small number of participants (n=28) were asked whether responded to the question of importance agreed that it
an integrated class in STEM would be beneficial for their was an important concept, but for a number of reasons
schools. Over half of the participants (16), responded and for a range of students. Some believed it could help all
“yes,” while the remaining 12 participants answered students gain an understanding of the basics in each of the
“unsure” or “no” (8 and 4, respectively). Those who were STEM areas when taught as an integrated lesson. Others
not sure of the benefit of an integrated course had several thought it was for more advanced students to enhance
concerns, including adding something else to the school their application of theory to hands-on projects. Yet others
day and the worry that the course would just be a response believe it is a way to teach problem-solving skills. So, even
to a new and trendy initiative and would not be given the when the definition of STEM education is understood,
necessary resources. the implementation can be very different and focused on
different purposes. This implies that there is not only a need
One of the final questions asked of most of the participants for definitional awareness-raising, but also for discussion of
was related to their current level of collaboration with how STEM education would be implemented. Without that
teachers outside of their content area on issues related step, it is likely that those in the school who agree on STEM
to STEM education. While a number of teachers stated education may have different ideas of what it should look
that they talk with their peers within their discipline like, who should be involved (both in terms of students and
on curriculum matters, very few responded that they teachers), and how it should be implemented.
collaborate, plan integrated lessons, or co-teach with

8• Te c hnolo gy and Engineering Te ac her • March 2011

The final conclusion is that there is little evidence that STEM Merrill, C. (2009). The future of TE masters degrees:
education exists in the school in this survey, based on the STEM. Presentation at the 70th Annual International
lack of collaboration that exists. STEM education often Technology Education Association Conference,
requires collaboration, as teachers have not been trained in Louisville, Kentucky.
STEM areas outside of their specific discipline. However, the Merrill, C. & Daugherty, J. (2010). STEM education and
results of this study show that there is very little collaboration leadership: A mathematics and science partnership
taking place, as nearly 90% of the participants stated that approach. Journal of Technology Education, 21(2).
they do not collaborate with peers in STEM areas. When the National Center for Education Statistics. (2009). Students
responses of those who stated that they do collaborate with who study science, technology, engineering, and
peers in STEM areas were examined along with the number mathematics (STEM) in postsecondary education.
of participants who understand STEM education and view (NCES 2009-161). Washington, DC: U.S. Department of
it as important, it is still less than 20% of the participants. Education.
So, while a number of teachers understand and value STEM National High School Alliance. (n.d.). STEM education.
education, few implement it. The implication is that, in Retrieved July 27, 2009 from [Link]/stem/
order for STEM education to become a reality, those who [Link]
understand and value it must find like-minded peers with National Science Board. (2007). A national action plan
whom to collaborate and implement STEM education. This for addressing the critical needs of the U.S. science,
again may require an awareness-raising effort on the part of technology, engineering, and mathematics education
the teacher who wishes to truly implement STEM education. system. (Publication No. NSB-07-114). Washington, DC:
U.S. Government Printing Office.
Hughes (2009) stated that “unfortunately the number of Sanders, M. (2009). Integrative STEM Education: Primer.
well-intentioned institutions, educators, and potential The Technology Teacher, 68(4), 20-26.
employers touting STEM far surpasses those who have Suddreth, D. & Itamura, V. (2007). Perspectives of Utah
brought the idea to fruition” (p. 28). If your vision of STEM educators on strategies to encourage the pursuit of
education is going to come to fruition, it must start with mathematics and science. Utah State Office of Education.
raising the awareness and understanding levels of your
administrators and fellow teachers to develop a common
understanding of STEM education. This must be followed Ryan Brown is an assistant professor in the
closely by collaboration with those who share the vision and Department of Curriculum and Instruction
interest in STEM education. and Associate Director of the Center for
Mathematics, Science, and Technology at
References Illinois State University, Normal, IL. He can
Brophy, S., Klein, S., Portsmore, M., & Rogers, C. (2008). be reached at rbrown@[Link].
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Journal of Engineering Education, 97(3), 369-387. Joshua Brown is an assistant professor in
Congressional Research Service. (2006). Science, technology, the Department of Technology at Illinois
engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education issues State University, Normal, IL. He can be
and legislative options. (CRS Publication No. RL33434). reached at jbrown4@[Link].
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innovate. National Governors Association. Washington, Kristin Reardon is an internal evaluator
DC: Author. for the STEM Education and Leadership
Hughes, B. (2009). How to start a STEM team. The program at Illinois State University, Normal,
Technology Teacher, 69(2), 27-29. IL. She can be reached at kc@[Link].
International Technology Education Association (ITEA/
ITEEA). (2000/2002/2007). Standards for technological
Chris Merrill is an associate professor in
literacy: Content for the study of technology. Reston, VA:
the Department of Technology at Illinois
Author.
State University, Normal, IL. He can be
International Technology Education Association (ITEA/
reached at cpmerri@[Link].
ITEEA). (2009). The overlooked STEM imperatives:
Technology and engineering. Reston, VA: Author. This is a refereed article.

9• Te c hnolo gy and Engineering Te ac her • Februar y 2011

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